1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an apparatus comprising retractable rollers which are biased into engagement with two opposed fabric parts for biasing the fabric parts toward each other while they are being fed through a lap or felled seam folder to produce a more uniform seam in a sewing operation.
2. Background
In many sewing operations the joining of two fabric parts is advantageously accomplished by sewing a so-called felled or lap type seam wherein the edges of the two parts are overlapped and the respective parts are then folded back on the edge of the other part. This type of seam is widely used in the manufacture of garments such as shirts and trousers.
Although various folding devices have been developed to assist in forming the seam as the cooperating parts are fed through a sewing machine, it is difficult to maintain the proper engagement of the parts as they are being fed to and through the sewing operation. Since it is desirable to minimize the width of the seam, the amount of overlap of the edge of one part with the edge of another part is desirably minimized which aggravates the problem of maintaining a proper amount of overlap while feeding the material into a sewing apparatus.
The object of this invention is to minimize the condition of improper overlap of edges of cooperating fabric parts in sewing a felled or lap type seam in order to maintain a more uniform seam and to increase the rate of production of garments and other articles which are joined together with a felled or lap type seam.